The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

learnEnglish · 发表于 2009-10-19 01:06

本帖最后由 learnEnglish 于 2009-10-19 01:57 编辑

Tom went on whitewashing -- paid no attention to the steamboat. Ben stared a moment and then said: "Hi-Yi! you're up a stump, ain't you!"

No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch with the eye of an artist, then he gave his brush another gentle sweep and surveyed the result, as before. Ben ranged up alongside of him. Tom's mouth watered for the apple, but he stuck to his work. Ben said:

"Hello, old chap, you got to work, hey?"

Tom wheeled suddenly and said:

"Why, it's you, Ben! I warn't noticing."

"Say -- I'm going in a-swimming, I am. Don't you wish you could? But of course you'd druther work -- wouldn't you? Course you would!"

Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said:

"What do you call work?"

"Why, ain't that work?"

Tom resumed his whitewashing, and answered carelessly:

"Well, maybe it is, and maybe it ain't. All I know, is, it suits Tom Sawyer."

"Oh come, now, you don't mean to let on that you like it?"

The brush continued to move.

"Like it? Well, I don't see why I oughtn't to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?"

That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush daintily back and forth -- stepped back to note the effect -- added a touch here and there -- criticised the effect again -- Ben watching every move and getting more and more interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said:

"Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little."

Tom considered, was about to consent; but he altered his mind:

"No -- no -- I reckon it wouldn't hardly do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly's awful particular about this fence -- right here on the street, you know -- but if it was the back fence I wouldn't mind and she wouldn't. Yes, she's awful particular about this fence; it's got to be done very careful; I reckon there ain't one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can do it the way it's got to be done."

"No -- is that so? Oh come, now -- lemme just try. Only just a little -- I'd let you, if you was me, Tom."

"Ben, I'd like to, honest injun; but Aunt Polly -- well, Jim wanted to do it, but she wouldn't let him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn't let Sid. Now don't you see how I'm fixed? If you was to tackle this fence and anything was to happen to it --"

"Oh, shucks, I'll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say -- I'll give you the core of my apple."

"Well, here -- No, Ben, now don't. I'm afeard --"

"I'll give you all of it!"

--------------------
warn't = wasn't, weren't
lemme = let me
druther = rather
-
go on = 继续
stick to = 坚持
let on = 泄露(秘密)
-
range up = 漫游, 徘徊, etc.
step back = 后退一步
-
back and forth = 来回地
just as = 同样地, 正如
alongside of = 在旁边, 与...并肩
up a stump = 束手无策, 不知如何是好, 不能行动说话等
-
honest injun = 说真的, 绝对不假
-
old chap = 老兄
-
You got to work, hey? => You have got to work, hey?
Course you would! => Of course you would!
-
Don't you see how I'm fixed? => "fixed" used to ask how much of sth a person has, for example: How are you fixed for cash?
--------------------
shucks = [俚]呸! 哼! 什么! 那有这回事!
-
water = 垂涎, 流口水, etc.
contemplate
resume
nibble
criticise
consent
alter
tackle
-
result
particular
-
absorbed
--------------------

程普 · 发表于 2009-10-19 01:11

tom is great

learnEnglish · 发表于 2009-10-19 02:33

The paragraph is interesting.

Lens · 发表于 2009-10-20 11:22

but too slow...

大帅 · 发表于 2009-10-21 00:57

楼主呢？？？等不及了啊！

程普 · 发表于 2009-10-27 11:47

where is lz

learnEnglish · 发表于 2009-10-28 22:34

I have died...

程普 · 发表于 2009-10-28 23:12

reborn?

learnEnglish · 发表于 2009-10-29 11:14

本帖最后由 learnEnglish 于 2009-10-29 10:17 编辑

Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while the late steamer Big Missouri worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel in the shade close by, dangled his legs, munched his apple, and planned the slaughter of more innocents. There was no lack of material; boys happened along every little while; they came to jeer, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was fagged out, Tom had traded the next chance to Billy Fisher for a kite, in good repair; and when he played out, Johnny Miller bought in for a dead rat and a string to swing it with -- and so on, and so on, hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor poverty-stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He had besides the things before mentioned, twelve marbles, part of a jews-harp, a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six fire-crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass doorknob, a dog-collar -- but no dog -- the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange-peel, and a dilapidated old window sash.

--------------------
happen along = 偶然到来
fag out = 累坏
play out = 玩够, etc.
buy in = 买进
look through = 透视, etc.
-
close by = 在附近, 接近于
every little while = 每隔一会
hour after hour = 连续地
-
be rolling in = 富于, 在...中打滚, 沉溺于
came to (+ v) = 开始..., 终于...
trade sth.for sth. = 以...换取...
-
and so on = 诸如此类
by the time 到...的时候
no lack of = 不缺乏
--------------------
before mentioned = 上述的
poverty-stricken = 为贫穷所困恼的
dilapidated
-
literally
-
jews-harp
reluctance
alacrity
barrel
slaughter
innocent
material
string
wealth
marble
fragment
decanter
tadpole
cracker
-
dangle
munch
swing
--------------------

Lens · 发表于 2009-10-29 12:10

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